This past weekend was sooo crazy busy! Saturday we had 2 baptisms!! One was Grant, and the other was Roy! They are both super awesome people and I'm so happy I could be apart of their conversion process :) I was able to speak at Grant's baptism which was super fun for me. And then I also was able to speak in Sacrament meeting yesterday when Roy was confirmed! And then to top off the weekend, we got transfer news last night :( My training is officially over! I'm gonna miss my companion Sister Blaney, but I'm super excited to meet my new one, Sister Ward!! We will go Wednesday and pick her up and drop Blaney off.
This week in "come follow me" we studied the story of the prodigal son and also the parable of the lost sheep. And I have felt impressed to share my thoughts and insights about what I have learned in my group email this week.
As soon as we came to this earth, we were all (in a sense) lost. We are a fallen people and we are separated from our Father in Heaven. But because He loves us and wants us to return to His presence, He provided the means of a Savior. Jesus Christ volunteered to make this whole plan work, He chose to be the one to come to earth and to make forgiveness, redemption, and eternal life possible. He also chose to be the example. And to be the one who we would follow. We refer to Jesus Christ by many names, one being the Shepherd. We are his sheep and we are all "lost" at one point in our lives or another.
In the parable that he taught of the prodigal son, he tells of a man who had 2 sons. he gives them each an inheritance because he loves them and he wants to help them. The oldest son continues to live with his father, helping him in his field. But the younger son decides to take this Inheritance and leave to a different city and live his life the way he wants to. Overtime he ends up losing everything and realizes what he has done. He had moved away from his family, lost all his money, home, food, everything!
He decides to make the journey back to his home where he is from and plead forgiveness to his father for the mistakes he had made. He wanted to offer to be his fathers servant to repay him for all he had done wrong. He was very lost, he felt completely alone and afraid, he desired repentance. He wanted to change.
As he made the journey back home, and when his father saw him coming, he RAN to his son. He had so much compassion for him! His son was lost, and now he was found. All this father knew and felt for his son was love and happiness that he had used his agency and made the choice to return home.
"He determined to find his way home, hoping to be accepted at least as a servant in his father’s household. The tender image of this boy’s anxious, faithful father running to meet him and showering him with kisses is one of the most moving and compassionate scenes in all of holy writ. It tells every child of God, wayward or otherwise, how much God wants us back in the protection of His arms." - Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
I know that we are all sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. He wants us to come back home to Him. He sent His only begotten son Jesus Christ to provide a way to live in His presence once again.
Jesus Christ teaches us how simple the way is, all we need to do is
1. Have faith that Jesus Christ is the Christ
2. Repent of our mistakes and continue to change and grow and become better
3. Become a baptized member of His restored church on the earth, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
4. Receive the greatest gift of all time, the gift of The Holy Ghost
5. And lastly continue each and every day to follow Him and His holy prophets that He calls to lead and guide us in these latter days
Luke 15: 4-7
4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
I hope you all have a great week and continue to remember to follow Jesus's example and His simple teachings.
Look for those in your life who might be lost, and minister to them. I promise you will receive blessings as you help God's children feel His love for them. I love you all!!
Read Luke 15 to read more about the prodigal son and the lost sheep
And also Elder Hollands talk, "the other prodigal" from April 2002 General Conference!!
Love, Sister Thorpe
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